Hertha Berlin coach Pal Dardai to step down in summer

Berlin (AFP) – Hertha Berlin coach Pal Dardai will step down at the end of the season after a string of poor results in 2019, the club confirmed on Tuesday. 

After a positive start to the season, Hertha have won just two of 13 games this year, plummeting to 11th in the table.

A 2-0 loss to Hoffenheim on Sunday was their fifth defeat in a row, piling the pressure on 43-year-old Hungarian coach Dardai. 

On Tuesday, the club announced that Dardai would end nearly five seasons in charge at the end of this season. 

“Four-and-a-half years of good, constructive work is a long time in professional football, but we have now decided that we need a new impetus in the summer,” said Hertha’s director of sport Michael Preetz.

“Pal is an important part of the positive development of the club and will remain a big part of the Hertha family in the future.

Dardai has been associated with Hertha since his playing days, and still holds the club record of 373 appearances. 

Even on Monday, he remained bullish about rumours that he would be sacked, saying that he and his team were doing a “great job” and that he “enjoyed the trust” of the club. 

On Tuesday, he said that Hertha “is and will remain my home”. 

“I am thankful for the chance I was given here and very proud of what we have achieved,” he said. 

The club confirmed that Dardai’s “general” contract would not be cancelled, and that he would remain at the club as a youth team coach.